Hyderabad: India’s advertising industry rarely engages with the material consequences of the immaterial. At the IAA Olive Crown Awards 2026, Tempest Advertising won two honours in the Press Unreleased category, the agency reflects a broader shift, where sustainability is framed through systems and consumption, not sentiment.
Its Gold-winning entry, “AI the Water Demon”, exposes an irony at the heart of AI. Marketed as frictionless, it relies on infrastructure that consumes vast amounts of water, much of which evaporates. The campaign frames this as invisible extraction: users generate prompts; data centres draw water. By making this link visible, it reveals not neglect, but a gap between usage and awareness.
Abhishek Jana, Senior VP & Branch Head, Bangalore, said, “The issue is not excess, but unawareness, an absence of association between digital actions and their physical cost. The corrective lies in creating awareness of the environmental impact of using AI.”
The creative force behind this campaign includes: Copy: Yesu Muthu, Sr. Copywriter, Art: Laxmikant Ameenagad, Executive Creative Director (Art), Creative Direction: Raghavendra Bhat, Sr. Creative Director (Copy), Project Management: Zubair Khan, Manager- Brand Strategy, Strategy: Abhishek Jana, Senior VP & Branch Head, Bangalore.
The second Silver-winning entry, “Surmai” (Silver), addresses an ongoing depletion. The word “SUR-MAR-GAI” is shaped like the fish itself. The viewer first sees the form; only on reading does the message emerge: the fish is gone.
Speaking on the win, Sanjay Shindgikar (VP & Branch Head, Pune) said, “We are delighted this campaign has been recognized at the IAA Olive Crown Awards 2026. What began as a last-minute thought by our copywriter, Deepak, became a resounding campaign, encouraging for the team and the purposeful creativity we believe in.”
The team behind the campaign includes: Copy: Deepak Sonavane, Sr. Copywriter, Creative Direction: Sanjay Kamble, Sr. Creative Director, Design: Prashant Ambilgikar, Sr. Graphic Designer, Leadership: Sanjay Shindgikar, VP & Branch Head, Pune.
These campaigns by Tempest does not merely raise awareness, but closes the distance between action and consequence.
